Protest Human Rights Violator and Former President of Mexico Felipe Calderon

When: April 13 – meet at The Other Side on Genesee Street (across from the Uptown Theater) this Saturday, April 13 at 2:30pm for a carpool heading to Colgate University for a 3:30 peaceful protest.

On Saturday April 15 at 5:00pm, Colgate University will host former Mexican president Felipe Calderon as an honored guest and speaker. Calderon came to power in what was largely viewed as a stolen election in 2006. He waged a failed and bloody “war on drugs” that resulted in the torture, forced disappearances, and extra-judicial killings of up to 120,000 people.

He violently repressed the democratic political movements in Oaxaca and the indigenous Zapatistas in Chiapas. In 2011 he was charged with crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court mostly for his handling of the drug war. His disastrous economic policies pushed millions of Mexicans into poverty while only the wealthiest in Mexico and a number of U.S. corporations profited.

Unfortunately, Colgate is not alone in applauding the policies of Calderon. The former president was awarded a fellowship at his alma mater of Harvard. Protests erupted in response, both in the street and in the form of a petition.

Calderon’s ability to speak at prestigious U.S. universities unfortunately comes out of the long history of the U.S. government supporting human rights violators and dictators that do the bidding of U.S. big business. A change in policy is long overdue.

Sign the petition to appeal Harvard’s decision to grant Calderon a fellowship.